This Pelvic Floor Exercise Doesn’t Actually Stop Bladder Leaks
HEALTH & WELLNESS
Image: Getty Images
It turns out there’s not much proof abdominal hypopressive technique works for treating bladder issues.
The technique involves breathing in deeply through the diaphragm, contracting the abdominal muscles after exhaling, and holding your breath before relaxing. AHT is different from Kegels, which are still thought to help.
As for AHT, a study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine finds it may be pointless for urinary incontinence.
“At present, there is no scientific evidence to recommend its use to patients,” Kari Bø of the Norwegian School of Sport Science in Oslo and Saúl Martín-Rodríguez from the College of Physical Education in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain, said in a statement.
“To date, AHT lacks scientific evidence to support its benefits,” Bø said. “At this stage, AHT is based on a theory with 20 years of clinical practice.”
The question, then, is what does work to prevent or treat leaky bladder?
Dr., Elizabeth Kavaler, a urologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, who read the study, says Kegels can help.
In an interview, she said AHT may not help to prevent prolapse and incontinence, but Kegels and other pelvic floor muscle exercises can.
Still haven’t mastered the Kegel? Just hold your muscles as if you’re trying to stop peeing and then relax them again.
Kavaler said managing your diet and weight along with exercising and practicing Kegels are the best ways to avoid having surgery for incontinence.
Dr. Carolyn Thompson, a gynecologist from Tennessee, says Kegel exercises and other pelvic floor muscle exercises are meant to treat stress urinary incontinence, which happens when the bladder support system fails. Kegels are also somewhat helpful in urinary urgency with incontinence, which occurs when the bladder contracts when you don’t want it to. She said that loss of large volumes or urine or severe bladder prolapse are less likely to be fully corrected by simply doing Kegels.
That said, she does recommend Kegels for patients with mild incontinence who have minimal pelvic floor defects and for pregnant patients prior to delivering.
More: Is Squirting Just Peeing? A Doctor Answers Your Most Pressing Pelvic Health Questions
“The literature has demonstrated that Kegels are effective in treating both stress and urge urinary incontinence,” she adds.
Image: Getty Images
Try Kegels instead of this to help with bladder leaks
It turns out there’s not much proof abdominal hypopressive technique works for treating bladder issues.
The technique involves breathing in deeply through the diaphragm, contracting the abdominal muscles after exhaling, and holding your breath before relaxing. AHT is different from Kegels, which are still thought to help.
As for AHT, a study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine finds it may be pointless for urinary incontinence.
“At present, there is no scientific evidence to recommend its use to patients,” Kari Bø of the Norwegian School of Sport Science in Oslo and Saúl Martín-Rodríguez from the College of Physical Education in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain, said in a statement.
More: Now you can do Kegel exercises with your smartphone
“To date, AHT lacks scientific evidence to support its benefits,” Bø said. “At this stage, AHT is based on a theory with 20 years of clinical practice.”
The question, then, is what does work to prevent or treat leaky bladder?
Dr., Elizabeth Kavaler, a urologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, who read the study, says Kegels can help.
In an interview, she said AHT may not help to prevent prolapse and incontinence, but Kegels and other pelvic floor muscle exercises can.
Still haven’t mastered the Kegel? Just hold your muscles as if you’re trying to stop peeing and then relax them again.
Kavaler said managing your diet and weight along with exercising and practicing Kegels are the best ways to avoid having surgery for incontinence.
Dr. Carolyn Thompson, a gynecologist from Tennessee, says Kegel exercises and other pelvic floor muscle exercises are meant to treat stress urinary incontinence, which happens when the bladder support system fails. Kegels are also somewhat helpful in urinary urgency with incontinence, which occurs when the bladder contracts when you don’t want it to. She said that loss of large volumes or urine or severe bladder prolapse are less likely to be fully corrected by simply doing Kegels.
That said, she does recommend Kegels for patients with mild incontinence who have minimal pelvic floor defects and for pregnant patients prior to delivering.
More: Is Squirting Just Peeing? A Doctor Answers Your Most Pressing Pelvic Health Questions
“The literature has demonstrated that Kegels are effective in treating both stress and urge urinary incontinence,” she adds.
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